Across the league, teams have cleared out playing time and, in some cases, considerable salary slots, in order to accommodate players who have shown only glimpses of sterling talent heretofore. But their big breaks are coming—and for these seven young players, this could be the season they prove their worth.

Evan Turner, 76ers

The ingredients are there for a big season from Turner, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft who has largely been a disappointment in his two NBA seasons. There will be opportunity. He will get a bump in minutes with the departure of Andre Iguodala, and the Sixers hope to establish him as the perimeter aspect of an inside-outside combo with Andrew Bynum. Just as important, there should be an increase in comfort level. Turner seemed to finally lock in midway through last season, and after the All-Star break, he averaged 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Kawhi Leonard, Spurs

Coach Gregg Popovich said this summer he thinks Leonard will eventually be the face of the Spurs franchise. That’s high praise for a second-year player, but Leonard’s defense earned Popovich’s respect early last season, and his offense has been better than expected. His numbers were not eye-popping (7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds), but he got better as the season went on. Given Popovich’s outlook for Leonard, expect him to be a bigger part of the offense this year.

Omer Asik, Rockets

For many, the three-year, $25.1 million deal the Rockets gave Asik—who has a career average of 2.9 points in 13.2 minutes per game—were examples of postlockout spending run amok. But Houston will pay Asik about $5 million in each of the first two years of the deal and $15 million in the final year. If he lives up to expectations, the third year will be bloated but not ridiculous. If he doesn’t, it is only one year of a bad payout. The guess here is that once Asik is given a starting spot and good minutes, his rebounding and defense will make him worth the money.

Gordon Hayward, Jazz

Utah has some sorting to do in its frontcourt, but Hayward seems to have a stronghold on the small forward spot. His scoring average went up each of the final three months of last season, and in 13 games in April, Hayward averaged 16.1 points, shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 49.0 percent from 3-point range. He also has come a long way on the defensive end of the floor.

Goran Dragic, Suns

The Suns targeted Dragic well before free agency began, hoping he would be the guy to replace Steve Nash. So he will have opportunity. He should be more comfortable, too, returning to Phoenix, where he started his career, having established himself as a starting-caliber point guard in Houston last season. In 28 games as a starter with the Rockets, Dragic averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 assists.

Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers

The Cavaliers’ other lottery pick from last year was easily overshadowed by No. 1 overall choice Kyrie Irving, and rightfully so. But Thompson showed he has plenty of upside. He remains very raw and must improve his shooting and knowledge of playing in the post, but the talent is there and starter Antawn Jamison is gone. If Thompson put in the work this summer, then look for a big step forward.

Klay Thompson, Warriors

Let’s be clear about Thompson: He is a shooter. He doesn’t put the ball on the floor very well, and he is not a playmaker or a rebounder. But he can most certainly shoot, and once the Warriors parted with Monta Ellis last year, Thompson showed what he can do, averaging 18.1 points in 29 games as a starter. He won’t get quite that many shots on a Warriors team expected to have Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut healthy, and with David Lee at power forward and Richard Jefferson, Harrison Barnes or Brandon Rush at small forward, but Thompson will be a valuable floor spacer on a much-improved team.